THOUSAND OAKS, CA. -- The Oneonta softball team dropped both of their games against California Lutheran, Tuesday afternoon during their West Coast Spring Break trip. Oneonta held a six-run lead during game one, then they had a two-run edge in the final inning of game two, but Cal. Lutheran completed both comebacks to take the games 8-6 and 4-3. The results moved the Red Dragons to 2-6 overall and the Regals to 6-12 this season.
"The story of the day was timely hitting," Head Coach
Sara Curran-Headley commented. "They had it. We didn't."
Sophomore
Tatum Passonno (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) finished the day 4-for-8 with three RBI, while junior
Emily Brown (Westbury, NY/Clarke) ended the doubleheader 5-for-9 with an RBI. Senior
Abigail Silliman (Rensselaer, N.Y./Columbia) went 3-for-8 with two doubles and an RBI, and sophomore
Sophia Camacho (Newburgh, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) was 3-for-7 with a stolen base. Freshman
Rylee McGinness (East Quogue, NY/Westhampton Beach) went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base in the twin bill.
Game One: Oneonta 6, Cal. Lutheran 8
The Red Dragons recorded the first six runs in game one to take a 6-0 lead after three innings of play. Sophomore
Kayla Kean (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) scored her freshman sister
Ella Kean (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) with a double down the left field line in the first inning, then she was brought home by sophomore
Tatum Passonno (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) with an RBI single through the left side.
Oneonta extended their lead to three in the second when they did a double steal with E. Kean and sophomore
Anna Spicciatie (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot), as Spicciatie was the one that crossed home. In the top of the third with one out, McGinness smacked a two-run single to right center and scored Silliman and Passonno, after both Red Dragon base runners reached base on back-to-back singles. Brown gave Oneonta the six-run advantage with an infield single that brought in Camacho.
Cal. Lutheran recorded their first run in the bottom of the fourth on a ground out, then the Regals went on a six-run rally in the fifth to take a 7-6 lead. After they worked a bases loaded walk for the first run, Mia Reveles hit an RBI single. One out later, Cal. Lutheran scored on a fielding error, then Danielle Diaz doubled to left center to tie the game. They took the lead on a sacrifice fly from Sofia Aviles.
The Red Dragons had a chance to score in the top of the sixth when Brown doubled to left center, K. Kean singled to right center, and sophomore
Emma Moore (Walden, N.Y./Valley Central) worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, the Regals struck out the next batter and forced a ground out to get out of the jam. In the bottom half of the inning, Cal. Lutheran extended their lead to 8-6 with an RBI single to right field.
In the final inning, Camacho hit an infield single to get the tying run to the plate with one out, however the inning and game ended with a strike out and groundout.
Brown, E. Kean, and Passonno all recorded two hits with an RBI. McGinness was 1-for-1 with two RBI, and Camacho was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
Senior
Anna Torgersen (Chester, NJ/Mendham) (2-1) was tagged with the loss after pitching 4.1 innings, striking out two, and allowing five runs, three earned, on four hits. Sophomore
Bridget Barry (East Patchogue, N.Y.) allowed two runs on two walks, and Brown pitched 1.2 innings and allowed one run on one hit and two walks.
Mia Cortez (1-0) received the win for Cal. Lutheran after pitching 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, and Ava Torre (1) picked up the save after pitching 2.0 innings and striking out three. Ally Forbell started the first 2.2 innings for the team and allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits.
Game Two: Oneonta 3, Cal. Lutheran 4
Cal. Lutheran took the first lead of game two with a solo home run from Reveles in the bottom of the first.
Oneonta gained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. Passonno tied the game with a one-out single down the left field line that scored pinch-running freshman
Eva Blaney (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman). The next batter was Silliman and she connected on the first pitch she saw for a double to right center and brought in McGinness. The Red Dragons were threatening to score more with the bases loaded, however the Regals got out of another jam.
Oneonta bumped their lead up to 3-1 in the top of the seventh when Brown crossed home on a grounder from Passonno.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cal. Lutheran pieced together a three-run rally for the 4-3 final. After they scored the first run on a single to right center, the Regals tied the game on a single to left. The game-winning run happened when Reveles crossed home on a wild pitch.
Brown finished game two 3-for-4 and scored a run. Passonno was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Silliman went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
Sophomore
Tanner Smith (White Plains, N.Y./Vahalla) (0-3) was tagged with the loss after pitching 6.2 innings, striking out one, and allowing four runs on seven hits.
Kalli Strahm (2-3) got the win for Cal. Lutheran after pitching the final 1.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits. Joie Steinkamp started the first 3.1 innings, struck out three, and allowed two runs on five hits.
The Red Dragons are back on the diamond on Wednesday, March 18, for a doubleheader against Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, California starting at 1 pm eastern, 10 am pacific.
